A Walk and a Ride
by Molly's Monsters
Summary: Set during high school, they all just walk around their elementary school. They get on the bus, but no adventure happens. Ralphie/Arnold for some reason.


**Author's note: This was actually the first fic I ever wrote and I honestly don't know where it came from, it just happened, but I've been rewriting it and trying to adjust it for over two years now and I just need to post it now. I do not own Magic School Bus.**

The group met up at their usual spot and started to walk. They had taken walks almost weekly since they started high school. It wasn't to make sure they stayed together. None of them had many friends outside of the group and only Keisha had ever dated outside of it. Still, they had the need to do it. It just felt right to walk around their neighborhood each week. Sometimes these walks took them past their old elementary school, sometimes they didn't. On this night, it did.

"That one," Keisha said. She was pointing to a bus in the middle of the parking lot. To anyone else, the buses would all look identical, but the eight of them knew exactly which was theit magic school bus. They all stared at it for a moment. Phoebe waved. Carlos saluted. Then they turned and walked onto the field, heading toward the playground.

Heather rolled her eyes as DA and Carlos went off to a more private section before she moved onto the swingset to swing alone. She grabbed her paper and pencils out of her purse and began to draw as she rocked back and forth.

Keisha and Phoebe went off to climb on the playground as Phoebe discussed the backstage drama of the school musical she was working on. Arnold hesitated, but followed them. Ralphie meant to follow Arnold, but Wanda grabbed him by the arm and marched him down to the baseball diamond. She laid down and Ralphie followed suit. For a while, they just lay there, watching the stars.

"Sometimes, I think the eight of us are inextricably linked together. Sure, we're all friends, but it's more than that. I think we all have a cosmic bond. Maybe that's why we've stayed friends all these years. Maybe we're connected. And maybe it's not just us."

Ralphie turned his head to look at her, but stayed silent.

"Look at Keisha. She's dating Jordan, who was in the year below us in Frizzle's class. We did so many things that didn't even seem strange at the time, but now it feels like we can only truly be connected to those who also shared some of those things." She paused. "I think that matters."

"Wanda, I'm not going to kiss you if that's where this is going," Ralphie joked.

She turned her head to him and gave him a half-smile that made him believe she knew more than she was letting on. "Don't be a weasley wimp, Ralphie," and she kissed him on the cheek and leapt up and started running toward the group.

"Tag!" she shouted, tackling Phoebe to the ground before springing up and running again. And so a game began. Heather jumped off of the swing mid-arc and DA and Carlos emerged to join. Phoebe was at an advantage in this game, what with her all-black attire, having just come from rehearsal, but they had long grown past the point where the objective was really to win.

Ralphie sat and watched them all. Arnold, he'd noticed, was becoming more and more animated by the minute. Ralphie considered that even amongst his best friends, it took him a while to warm up to them. And none of them had ever seen the side of Arnold that Ralphie knew. He thought back to everything that had happened between them. Arnold had been the one to kiss him. Arnold had been the first one to say, "I love you." He remembered the first time they slept together.

Ralphie had been so nervous, and so was Arnold. Yet, at the same time, they both felt incredibly comfortable. After the fact, Arnold had broken the tension magnificently by announcing, "Well, Ralphie. This was not my first time inside you, but it was certainly the most enjoyable." Ralphie had burst out laughing and Arnold blushed. Ralphie kissed him on top of his head, which Arnold knew meant he was bursting with love. They had then lapsed into comfortable silence, thinking about what they had.

Sitting on the ground at his old school-his old home-he couldn't think what he was really afraid of now. He didn't feel they were in the closet to their friends, but they also clearly weren't out of it. It couldn't be a problem. When Heather had come to Ralphie first to tell him she no longer wanted to be Tim, Ralphie hadn't said anything, he just stood up and hugged his friend. His head knew that if they told their friends, there wouldn't ever be a problem. Pure acceptance was all that had ever greeted Heather, and he knew it was all he and Arnold would meet. He knew it. They were all cosmically bonded, as Wanda had said. And yet...he couldn't shake his fears or his worries. As he watched his dearest friends, he felt that pulse of worry. But as his eyes found the boy he loved, all of those fears melted away. He felt safe again.

So Ralphie stood up to join the game, though it had already run most of its course.

After a few minutes, they all knew it was time to move on and headed back toward the parking lot.

Suddenly, Heather stopped. "Um, guys. Look." She pointed to the nearest bus to them.

"It wasn't there before," DA said. "It was definitely farther down."

The doors to the bus opened. Arnold's hand immediately jumped to Ralphie's shoulder.

After a quick glance at each other, they all filed into their old bus.

There was no one inside. No Liz, no Frizzle, just the eight of them and their bus. The moment they had all clicked in their seatbelts, the bus changed and took off for the sky.

Ralphie subtly placed his hand over Arnold's on the space between them.

The bus took them quickly through their solar system and beyond.

"Poor Pluto," Keisha said. "Being demoted can't have been satisfying."

"At least it still has all of its presents from Janet to keep it company," Carlos said. They all laughed.

The bus certainly knew where it was going, though it also seemed to be going nowhere in particular. Soon, they were among the stars. They all marveled at it.

"Just so long as I'm back in time for my show and you're back in time for your game, right, Ralphie?"

Ralphie was taken out of his reverie. He nodded. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't think of anything clever or funny or important to say. Stars were supposed to make you feel small and inconsequential, but they didn't. He felt pretty important. Maybe not to the world or to everyone, but to enough people he meant enough that he knew he mattered. Arnold squeezed his hand. That was enough.

"I'm glad I didn't stay home today," Arnold whispered with a smile.

Ralphie opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when Heather exclaimed, "DA, there's your star!"

Everyone clamored over to look at the star they had made for DA.

"Oh, it's beautiful. I'm so glad I got to see it up close." DA dabbed at her eyes. It was all overwhelming, but at the same time, it felt right. As if they'd never left. Being back in the bus, being amongst the stars where no one else had-or could-venture.

They all sat back, not wanting to say much. They hadn't exactly missed it, but it did feel good to be back. They all had a shared understanding of what they were feeling that night.

Arnold was staring out the window. Ralphie was staring at Arnold.

"I love you too," Arnold said.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it."

Ralphie couldn't deny this. "I'm glad you took a chance on me. That's what we were taught, right? Taking chances..."

"We've sure gotten messy," Arnold said with a sly grin.

"We'll probably make mistakes."

Ralphie laid his head on Arnold's shoulder and Arnold put his arm around him. He could see the faint reflection in the window of Carlos giving him a thumbs up. Ralphie smiled. He let all the stars wash over him and breathed deeply. He felt the safe in the magical bus-their magical bus-and wrapped up next to the boy he loved.


End file.
